The brother of former EastEnders actor Gemma McCluskie, found dead in a canal, has accepted responsibility for killing her, the Old Bailey has heard.

Tony McCluskie, 35, will now face trial over whether her death was murder or manslaughter, a judge said.

McCluskie, who lived in Hackney, east London, with his 29-year-old sister, was due to face trial next month.

But the trial has been moved to 14 January after the discovery of Gemma McCluskie's head in the Regent's Canal near her home on 9 September.

Tony McCluskie, who appeared by videolink, was remanded in custody at the Old Bailey.

Gemma McCluskie's headless and limbless body was discovered floating in the canal in March. She had been missing for a week after attending the £650m opening of the Royal London hospital in Whitechapel, east London.

Gemma McCluskie played Kerry Skinner in the BBC soap in 2001.

Friends launched extensive searches across east London in an attempt to find her and former EastEnders co-stars Natalie Cassidy and Brooke Kinsella appealed on Twitter for help.